St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-07-21
LAW AND LABOR.

the Land and labor Agitator Has to Sal
t About the Aims and Prospects of the
3 Faction He Representative Alliance
. With the OLD Parties.
NEW York, May 12.-Through the prom
inence given to the ecclesiastical troubles
, of DR.. McGlynn and the land and la bon
question, which has been kept steadily
before the public for a month or two, the
. Labor party has not been heard from I'M
til a call for a State convention was is
sued the other day a reporter saw and
talked with Henry George about the plans
Of the party and it's condition:
'Interest in our causc.' he said, ''ls
spreading rapidly. Land and La Dor club
are forming all over the country. There
are one or two homogeneous elements, but
they don't affect the general complexion
Of the party. The people here have had
splendid education in the land question
and have grasped it so thoroughly that
there is no danger that they will be likely
to go back to the older parties Our ulti-
mate aim is the abolition of
all taxes except those on land.
We can not hope to accomplish
all, of course. but the first step will
be the taking of all taxes off improve
ments in the shape of buildings and land
Out West there has been labor party
formed that put hodge -podge plank in
It's platform about land, but our people
| have nothing to do with it. We stand
+ trm for the radical views of the holding of
land that has been repeatedly expressed
in our documents and declarations of
principles. | think the party in this city
is much stronger now than it was in the
municipal election. Elsewhere it certain
| " is, for where there was no party at all
there is now some kind Of organization in
nearly every important city. The politi-
clans don't know what to make of us, and
even the politicians are fighting u.s.
DO you expect the party to make
! presidential nomination in the next cam.
| paign:''
II am sure | don't know really" he
! said, eve don't care to hold the execu-
| tive offices, but it seems to be necessary
| to fight for them in order to bring our
! principles into the field"
| IF nomination We're made would it
! not result in the sure election of a Re-
! puDlican?n
| May be; we should not care. What
difference does it make who holds the Of
icesE Are we really any better off be-
cause Mr.. Cleveland was elected, and
would it make the burdens any heavier
if Republican were the Chief Execu-
tives think not The important thing
is to get the people to think of the real
issue, and that is the mission Of the La
Dor party. There are lots of Democrats
to-day who ought to be Repu Bile
aus, and vice versa. Now the party
lines must be so sharply drawn
that these congruous elements shall unite
under one standard. If the labor party
comes into the I'D and by it's presence
defeats an organization that otherwise
might count on victory, the tendency will
be to shake up the parties so that the in
congruous elements of each will fall out
The Republican party was killed in the
last election. 1t will be a capital thing
now to kill the Democratic party. If that
Is not done in the next election, it surrey
will be in the next but one. and then the
mission Of the labor party will have been
accomplished. Then genuine ssu e will be
before the country and the parties must
form on either side of it. That issue
naturally will be the land que stion. Judg-
ing from the way the case is growingI !
should say that by that time the whole
country would be able to discuss the is
sue intelligently Meantime, we shall
work hard in our own way. We shall |
countenance nothing that looks like an !
guard against that it will be necessary
for us to have our own candid ates in the |
field for every office subject to popular
election"
''The labor parties cry against the cor
ruption of the older organ cations. What
does it say to the suggestion that the plac
ing of so much power in the Government
as will follow from ma King the State the
landlord will induce a greater amount of
s'The reply is that it's mistaken idea
to suppose that the functions of the Gov
eminent will be increased by the adop-
ton of our plan Ga the contrary they
will be diminished, and our policy calls
not only for no more Offices than exist at
present, but no new ones. You see what
we strive against is taxation. There
are several kinds of taxation
now When we have reduced
hem to the one tax on land
values only, what will happen? Why,
he officials already intrusted with the
assessment and collection of taxes will
do the work. The present ma
'hinery of government will m ore than
suffice for the operation of things accord
ng to our plans. We shall simplify gov
operations a great deal and
hus decrease the tendency to corruption. 8
further, fruitful source of corruption
o-day lies in the valuation Of taxable prop
rty. When only land is taxed there will !
lot be so great possibility of fraud, be-
ause it is comparatively easy to get at |
he value of land. 50 far as the labor
arty is concerned, it is harmonious 1t y
) an element in politics that has com, to
tay, for it IS based not on a desire for 1
flee, but ON a conviction. The work of I
lecting delegates to the State conven- 6
ion will be undertaken very soon, and we
xpect to have all parts of the State rep
esented, and to have a very large gather
lg" f
he Panhandle Railroad Robbers on 9
Trial.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, May 11.-At three !.
clock yesterday afternoon the jury in Il
he Lavelle case, pan Handle railroad t
obbers) came into court and announced n
lat they found the defendant guilty on :,